


Cruel as a Cucumber

by UppityBitch



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 06:11:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9478979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UppityBitch/pseuds/UppityBitch
Summary: This is the Klaroline Valentine’s Gift Exchange 2017 written for the always lovely melsbels/goldcaught. I really hope you like it! In this AU human!Klaroline, our favorite duo happens to meet at a farmer’s market in a quirky Gulf Coast town. Surely the sparks they ignite will overcome that hilariously awkward first encounter...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [melsbels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/melsbels/gifts).



> Warning: Tiny bit of smut because Valentine’s Day practically requires it. :)

“Wilbur didn't want food, he wanted love.”   
― E. B. White, _Charlotte's Web_

 

  

            There _is_ such a thing as too much butt cheek before 9:00 am. _Especially_ when it was stuffed in a lime green thong and walking unabashedly down the sidewalk on Bougainvillea Avenue. Caroline Forbes shook her head, an indulgent smile on her lovely face as she stacked woven baskets for her customers to use at her produce stand. She’d been a resident of the sleepy little beachside community of Mystic Port, Florida, for several years now, but its quirky, charming residents still delighted her on a daily basis.  

            She had vacationed down here just once, eager to escape the high-pressure world of academia, and practically overnight made the decision to leave behind her tedious life and embrace something far more carefree. This tiny, laid-back community full of hippies and those who were secretly hippies at heart, talented artists, and other lovable strays had welcomed her with open arms and she couldn’t imagine finding any other place that made her feel like she was on a permanent vacation. In her previous world, Caroline’s gardening hobby had been limited to meager flower pots on her balcony in her city high-rise, but out here, she had blossomed into Mystic Port’s resident farmer, and supplied several of the local restaurants with her homegrown produce.

            She noticed that one of the local bands, the oddly named _Sirens...Meh_ , was setting up down the street under a large, colorful umbrella. A bluesy-alternative rock sister act, they usually played at the small town’s venues, delighting the audience with self-penned songs like, “Lookin’ for Plots in All the Wrong Places” and “Continuity (You’re Never Gonna Get It)”. They also relished playing the standards like “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Shout at the Devil”, which always got the crowd fired up. Caroline waved to them cheerfully, wishing them luck as they set an old rusty bell upside down on the sidewalk to serve as their tip jar.

            As she adjusted the miniature chalkboard sign beside the Roma tomatoes, she heard a crisp British accent inquire, “ _The Bountiful Ceres_? A bit on the nose, don’t you think, sweetheart?”

            She straightened, swiping at her sweaty temple to regard an uncommonly attractive man with dirty blonde curls and a smug smirk. From his accent, she assumed he was a ‘snowbird’, a foreign tourist who came to Florida during the winter to enjoy a sunburn in January. Not that she could fault them for that — she still felt giddy at the thought of her shoe closet being stuffed with nothing but year-round flips flops ranging from casual to dressy depending upon the occasion. Realizing that the beautiful stranger had no intention of moving onto the next booth until she responded, she answered lightly, “That’s a hasty assumption. It’s entirely possible I named my farm after the dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter rather than the Roman goddess of agriculture.”

            Raising an impressed eyebrow, he said, “I wouldn’t think astronomy would be common knowledge in a quaint farmer’s market.” He fiddled with the curved stem of one of her yellow-green cubanelle peppers in a manner that she _almost_ considered erotic except he was being a condescending asshat.

            She answered somewhat stiffly, “You’d be amazed at the backgrounds of some of our little town’s transplants. There’s physicists, chemical engineers, former ambassadors, mothers, fathers, friends, lovers, and everything in between, all content to bask in the _quaintness_.”

            He unexpectedly flashed a set of innocent dimples at her curt statement, and held out his hand to shake hers. “I’m Klaus. And where do you fit in with that eclectic mix of professions, sweetheart,” he asked curiously, his gray eyes studying her intently.

            She warmed under his casual perusal, and did her best not to self-consciously try to tuck frizzy blonde curls back into her messy knot. “Caroline. Former teacher, current farmer.”

            “Caroline,” he nodded, rolling the syllables around on his tongue, bathing them in that delicious accent of his. They were momentarily distracted by several brown pelicans that swooped low at the dock across the way, their delicate squeaks as they greeted each other adding to the steady hum of the farmer’s market. Continuing his interrogation, Klaus asked, “What did you teach and where?”

            She frowned slightly, trying to determine if he was being overly friendly or actually flirting with her. She always was _so bad_ at this. “Science. At a university.” She also was hesitant to give out further details unless pressed; otherwise, she was concerned it would sound uncomfortably like bragging.

            As though sensing her discomfort, Klaus leaned forward across her booth, the simple navy t-shirt stretching seductively across the hard planes of his chest. “Horticulture, I assume? Which university?”

            Rolling her blue eyes, she replied. “Astrophysics. At Columbia.” A small, petty part of her thoroughly enjoyed the way surprise flitted across his handsome face and his expression turned somewhat sheepish. Anxious to move along this awkward meeting so she could return to her normal routine, she pointed out her multi-level display of berries and asked, “So what can I get you today? I’m running a special on blueberries, strawberries and blackberries — $3 per pint or a half-flat for $10.”

            Klaus chuckled, the melodious sound somehow conveying both amusement and slight annoyance. “Anxious to be rid of me, sweetheart? And here I was hoping you could tell me what surely must be a fascinating story of how you ended up here.”

            She huffed, folding her arms across her chest, trying to be mindful of the enormous sweat stains that had likely started appearing on her pink tank top. “I’m not that fascinating. _Especially_ in this town.” She jerked her chin at the space over Klaus’ shoulder, and he turned just in time to see a broad-shouldered gentleman with dark hair strutting about the farmer’s market wearing nothing but a lime green thong and a giant smile.

            Watching as the man waved to the various vendors and called out flirty greetings of “Hey, gorgeous!” to women young and old alike, Klaus seemed flummoxed for the moment. Turning back to Caroline he said, “I’m a bit surprised your town council allows that level of nudity in public. This isn’t Miami.”

            Caroline shrugged, enjoying Klaus’ obvious discomfort. “It’s Mystic Port. We focus on _actual_ concerns rather than something as harmless as a little bare skin. Besides,” she added with a secret grin, “that’s Enzo, our town’s mayor.”

            “Well, I was going to argue your point about what you consider fascinating, but between that overly confident lad there and then that peculiar brunette near the sea shell wind chimes booth, perhaps I should defer to your more experienced judgement,” he joked, trying and failing at not blatantly staring when the odd woman began to lick her hand and then groom her arms and neck, much like a cat.

            Caroline airily explained, “That’s just Katherine, who unsurprisingly insists we call her _Kat_. One of the psychics here told her that she was a reincarnated Himalayan and that her muscle memory would retain certain aspects of her past life.” At his stunned expression, she added somewhat defensively, “So she’s a bit out there, but she’s a good person and a _very_ attentive, loving pet owner, so she’s more than ok in my books.”

            “Let me guess — she’s has an inordinate number of cats,” he asked faintly.

            “More of a dog person, really. She has two absolutely gorgeous golden retrievers that have a weekly advice column in our local newspaper. Well, Kat ghostwrites the column for them, but she swears she infuses their personality in the writing,” Caroline cheerfully told him, thoroughly enjoying the way his eyebrows nearly grazed his hairline with each unusual revelation.

            Before Klaus could question her further about the town’s quirky residents, they were interrupted by a statuesque blonde who said in a clipped tone of exasperation, “There you are, Nik! I swear this odd little chap keeps following me about offering to give me an exclusive tour of this bizarre village. I’m sure you’ve noticed him; he’s practically naked and keeps calling me ‘gorgeous’.” Her fierce green eyes flashed as she finished her impassioned speech, flicking over to Caroline briefly. Putting a hand on her hip she snorted, adding, “Although you’ve clearly been too busy flirting with the locals to notice.”

            “That’s Enzo,” Caroline helpfully explained, irritated that she immediately wanted to know how Klaus knew the beautiful blonde. Objectively, she could admit they made a stunning couple, with striking features and a commanding presence. They probably had beautiful blonde babies in a predictably rigid, perfect little white-picket-fence world. _Ugh. Seriously, snap out of it_. “You should consider taking him up on his offer; he knows more about our town than anyone and is a hoot to talk to.” She tried not to feel relief at the way the mystery woman kept covertly scanning the crowd, obviously hoping to run into Enzo again.

            Klaus tugged on the blonde’s ponytail, giving her an impish smile as he told Caroline, “Caroline, this is my sister, Rebekah. Rebekah, this lovely creature is Caroline, who was regaling me with tales about this intriguing town.”

            “Charmed,” Rebekah, drawled, taking in Caroline’s sweaty appearance and dirt-streaked capri jeans with a critical brow. “Tell me, Caroline, does your city not have any HOAs? I’ve been quite surprised by the flamboyantly painted homes in the area. There was one house, such a shame really, because it would have been such a lovely Key West-style cottage if not for the appalling purple it’s painted.”

            Klaus nodded in agreement, asking Caroline, “Surely you know the one we mean, love? It’s down the road, perched on the corner. There’s a giant cluster of sunflowers that nearly swallows the mailbox.”

            Caroline’s blue eyes strayed to the soothing sight of the sailboats peacefully floating on the sparkling blue-green Gulf. She needed to get a handle on her temper that was threatening to crush the judgmental, uptight fish and chips platters standing before her. “Yup. It’s my house. Perhaps _appalling_ is relative. Like manners.”

            She felt a grim sort of satisfaction in the way the rude siblings paled at her revelation. Rebekah offered her a pained smile and said quietly, “Right. Well, that’s incredibly awkward. Um, sorry?” She nodded once in Caroline’s direction and bid a hasty retreat, muttering under her breath to her brother, “Good luck recovering from that one, Nik.”

            Klaus immediately cleared his throat, opening and then shutting his mouth as he clearly strained to think of something to say to alleviate the uncomfortable tension. Caroline busied herself with a few customers that appeared, flashing them brilliant smiles and asking after their families. She had just finished handing off the last bag of colorful bell peppers to her remaining customer when he mumbled, “Sorry about that.” He rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to make eye contact with her. “This part usually goes better for me.”

            Caroline flashed an evil grin, dryly asking, “Let me guess — your dimples always work to smooth over your insults? They must put in a lot of overtime.”

            Reddening slightly, Klaus laughed, and then attempted to change the topic when he observed, “You seem to be doing brisk business at the market today. Is there a special event happening?”

            Still amused by his obvious embarrassment, she decided to quit trying to shuffle him away from her booth. “Business is usually pretty steady, plus I’m the supplier for a couple of the restaurants here.”

            His gray eyes lit up at her words and he asked excitedly, “Really? In that case, you would know the best places to eat around here then. What do you recommend?”

            As an enthusiastic foodie, she was pleased to see that Klaus seemed to be one as well. “If you’re in the mood for Italian, the Salvatores feature their family’s old recipes and have the best marinara sauce I’ve tasted since leaving New York. It’s one block south, called _Lily’s Trattoria._ Or, across the street from them is Lockwood Grill. They serve this Oklahoma-style barbecue with a savory-sweet sauce that I still can’t figure out how to duplicate. They also usually win all the barbecue championships in the area.”

            Klaus seemed to soak up every bit of local food knowledge she was willing to share. With a slight hitch to his voice he asked, “Both options sound delicious. Do you have any other places you’d like to tell me about?”

            She finished reorganizing the cucumbers that had been scattered during the last wave of customers, and answered with a frown, “Actually, it’s a shame you weren’t vacationing here a couple of months ago. There was this tiny little cafe that had been in the Gilbert family for generations. It was the oldest business in Mystic Port and it’s where all of our town parades would end. We’d all gather there and have their specialty, key lime pie fritters.” Her mouth watered as she recalled their menu. “Actually, their food was the perfect example of home-style Florida cooking from fresh grouper sandwiches, sweet potato fries, cracked-pepper shrimp and buttered grits...” she trailed off dreamily as she recalled the heavenly aromas that would waft from their open windows during the day.

            He seemed to hang on her every word and she shook her head sadly as she lamented, “It’s a damn shame what happened when Elena and Jeremy’s parents died and they had to sell off the property. Everyone around here felt bad for them, but by the time we all found out about their debt, it was too late for us to do anything about it — some investors already had snapped up the property.”

            Caroline had no idea her storytelling was this captivating, but the way his gray eyes widened with every detail and his hushed voice as he asked, “And then what happened?” convinced her that maybe she should have been a writer after all. Everyone had at least one novel in them, she figured.

            “Well,” she began in a sour tone, “these investors came in and tore down the original structure because Enzo couldn’t get the historical society to declare it a landmark because it was _one year_ too young to meet the requirements for a historical site. And then, the investors sent in this conceited asshat who came into town, met with the original cafe’s staff, and fired all of them on the spot!” She clenched her fists, angrily starting to put away some of the zucchini, yellow squash and green beans as she realized the market hours were nearing the end.

            Klaus frowned, holding out a woven basket to hold the array of vegetables she’d gathered. “He fired _all_ of them,” he asked, clearly trying to work out the finer points of her story.

            “You bet. _Everyone_. We had a blowout party to give them a proper sendoff the other night down at Donovan’s Tavern.” She gritted her teeth as she thought about it some more. “Ugh! The rumor is that these investors are planning to turn the restaurant into a fine dining experience on the water, but this is _so_ not the place for that. In a town whose motto is ‘Keep Mystic Port weird,’ you can bet that no one is going to be that interested in foie gras and escargot. Plus, we’re hours away from large cities and airports, so the only tourists that come here are those that want a relaxed, casual vacation.”

            Caroline laughed, pushing back a few sweaty blonde curls from her casual knot at the base of her neck. “Seriously, the new owners did _not_ do their homework if they thought pretentious, over-priced and likely _way_ overrated food was the way to fit in with us.”

            Klaus added the last armload of bell peppers to the basket on one of her tables, and then straightened, offering her a tight smile. “Well, it seems I could have used your advice two months ago, sweetheart.” As she froze in place, horror dawning in her bright blue eyes, he added somewhat awkwardly, “I’m Niklaus Mikaleson, former CFO and apparently utter failure as a new restaurateur.”

            Caroline took a careful step back, moving a wooden display a few inches with her hip. “Oh! Um...” she began, obviously flustered. She was trying to gauge Klaus’ mood, but his expression was impassive, leaving her with little insight as to how to fix her inadvertent insults. “So...that was uncalled-for. What I said, I mean. I obviously don’t know you or what actual plans you have for the place, and it’s certainly none of my business how you decide to run your restaurant,” she hurriedly said, nervously moving one of the baskets overflowing with green beans back and forth a few inches between them.

            As a handful of green beans toppled out onto her wooden table, Klaus seemed to come out of his strange stupor and, shaking himself slightly, managed to say hurriedly, “So I should be going then. Lovely to meet you, Caroline.” He walked away, getting lost in the tourists who were flocking to various booths that ran specials on their unsold wares near the end of the day.

            Caroline smacked her forehead, groaning in embarrassment. Stupid. _Why was she so bad at this?_ At least he and his sister managed to unknowingly insult her first, but seriously, how had she managed to miss the way he seemed _invested_ in what she had to say about the local eateries? She blamed those damned dimples. They were far too distracting. Shaking her head, she started plotting the best way to try to make amends. Maybe a fruit basket?

* * *

 

            That evening, she was heading down to the beach for a relaxing walk when she happened to see Klaus’ familiar form underneath an antique streetlamp. She felt her heart start to race and she couldn’t help but look down at herself, pleased that she’d showered and changed into a pretty teal sundress that accented her eyes. If attractive British men were going to start being a regular part of the town’s landscape, she was going to have to go shopping and replace some of her more threadbare beach-walking attire.

            “Hi,” she said, somewhat shyly, still unsure of how to handle the awkwardness of their initial meeting.

            “Caroline,” Klaus replied, his gray eyes seeming to come alive when he noticed her. The way his eyes lingered hungrily on her sun-kissed legs sent a thrill of anticipation through her. “I was hoping I might run into you tonight. My sister made plans, so I’m on my own for the evening.”

            Surprise colored her voice as she asked, “Really? You guys just arrived. What plans did she make?”

            With a smirk, he answered, “She apparently decided to take your advice and has allowed Enzo to give her a rather dubious-sounding tour of the town.” He peeked at her from underneath his thick lashes. “Perhaps I could trouble you for a tour as well,” he asked, his hopeful tone making her melt.

            She impulsively grabbed his hand, firmly leading him to an old brick building near the water’s edge. “Come on,” she said, excitement twinkling in her gaze as she explained, “I want to show you one of the first things I did when I moved here.” As they came to the glass doors, he raised a questioning eyebrow when he saw it was the township’s city hall. Noticing his expression, she pushed open the unlocked doors and led him toward a set of stairs along one side, telling him, “Enzo and the city council don’t see the point in locking the doors in this building because they say they have nothing to hide. They want everyone to feel like the building belongs to all of us, and they encourage us to come and go as we please.”

            When they arrived at the top of the stairs, she led him through a doorway that opened onto the roof where an elaborate garden flourished. The soothing sounds of the Gulf reached their ears, the waves gently lapping at the shore now that most of the boats had docked for the evening. Klaus took in the lush foliage of pygmy date palms, fragrant honeysuckle, and golden hurricane lilies, before his senses became overwhelmed and he stopped registering the amazing splendor before him. “This is breathtaking, love. You created all of this,” he asked in a hushed tone, the admiration in his voice boosting her ego.

            “Well, it was my idea but most of the town helped me put it together.” She tugged on his hand, leading him toward a stone ledge overlooking the Gulf. “This is my favorite part,” she explained, pointing to a series of clay pots all stacked off-center and strategically spilling water into each other. “One of the best sculptors in town, Bonnie, took my fountain design and built this by herself. I’m constantly amazed at the talent that you can find here, all in one place,” she mused, kicking off her flip flops and motioning for him to stretch out beside her on the wide chaise lounge.

            He smoothly folded his long frame beside hers, his simple black button-down had the sleeves rolled up, exposing his powerful-looking forearms that made her itch to touch them just to make sure they were real. He tugged self-consciously on a few necklaces that were poking out of his unbuttoned collar. “I’d like to apologize for what Rebekah and I said to you earlier. I realized after we awkwardly ended our discussion today that I was so flustered I never properly apologized.”

            She rolled onto her side to study him more carefully. The soft light of the stars overhead bathed him in a silver glow that made him seem almost ethereal. Her indulgent smile and the soft press of her warm palm against the firm lines of his chest seemed to awaken something within him, and his breath hitched ever so slightly. “I appreciate the sentiment, but let’s not forget I showed my teeth too. I ran my mouth about people and things that I’m passionate about, but I still shouldn’t have been so judgmental about someone trying to start a business here. I know what that’s like, starting over in a new place, and it wasn’t my intention to make you feel unwelcome here.” She gave him a shy smile. “Usually when I put my foot in my mouth, I make a fruit basket to go with my apology.”

            He laughed softly, informing her, “I just buy Rebekah shoes.”

            They shared a secret smile, but the intensity of his gaze was becoming difficult to ignore, so she resorted to her patented rambling. “When I came here, I felt this urge to transform a piece of this town, to make it mine. This garden was how I first staked a claim on the land. Tending what I planted here — that’s how I proved my commitment to this place and the people. I’m sure you’ll find your own path to that as well.”

            Klaus curled his hand over hers, holding it over his chest. “Would you tell me how you came to be here? I find myself quite curious about this town’s lovely protector.”

            She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the way her skin practically hummed with anticipation as she slid a few inches closer to him, their bodies curving toward each other ever so slightly. “Sometimes life gives you exactly what you _want_ and it’s nothing that you _need_.”

            The slight breeze tangled her blonde waves, and she brushed a few strands from her cheek, blushing a bit when she saw how Klaus’ fingers twitched as though he had to stop himself from touching her. “I was in a high-stress environment as a professor with an ever-expanding course load to teach and I was expected to perform ongoing research and publish regularly. Plus, the Board of Regents kept pressuring me to compromise curriculum and grading standards whenever students with certain influential familial connections attended.”

            Klaus made a noise of disgust, his fingers lightly grazing her bare shoulder. “So much for academic integrity. I’d like to think that my siblings and I made our way through university upon the strength of our applications and personal achievements, but I can’t ignore the doors that seemed to open just a bit more easily under the weight of our surname.” He frowned, adding, “Especially in my younger brother’s case. Every time I popped by for a visit, Kol’s flat reeked of pot and I’m quite sure when he graduated they likely needed to fumigate the place. Or possibly just burn it down and rebuild from scratch.”

            Chuckling, they relaxed against each other, and Caroline enjoyed the way that she seemed to fit so perfectly in his arms. With her head now resting on his shoulder, she looked up at the night sky and said excitedly, “We picked a perfect night to do this. There’s Taurus!” She traced the pattern with the tip of her finger, adding, “See? There’s his horns in that large v-pattern. This is the 17th largest out of the 88 constellations. Catalogued by Ptolemy in the second century, it carried great importance to ancient cultures because it was positioned in the path the sun travels each year, allowing them to mark the spring equinox and their planting seasons.”

            He squeezed her hand, smiling at her enthusiasm. “I’ve never given much thought to the stars before; I always thought the constellations rarely looked like what they supposedly depicted. Perhaps with your expertise you can change my mind.”

            She shivered at the implication that he expected them to spend more time together in the future. “I’d be happy to teach you. I miss the research sometimes, but at least the stars followed me down here,” she said with a wink. Resettling against his chest, she asked, “What about you? How did you end up here?”

            Klaus heaved a heavy sigh, and hive handsome face darkened momentarily. “I was CFO of my family’s corporation, pledging my loyalty for years until I came across some underhanded dealings my father had perpetuated. While they weren’t necessarily illegal activities, they perched upon that invisible line that represents morality and had been crafted with such calculation that it was obvious that the intent had been malicious. I grew uncomfortable with the direction the business was taking and one day, I walked out of my office and didn’t look back.”

            He ran a soothing hand down Caroline’s back, her skin tingling in the wake of his powerful touch. “I’d always enjoyed food and had the good fortune to have made connections with those who could help me get started in the restaurant business. Frankly, the idea of remaining in the city where my father lived didn’t appeal to me, but neither did the idea of starting over in another one just like it. I started researching restaurants for sale in small towns along the East Coast, and now here I am.”

            “That must have been difficult, leaving behind so much of your family and your old life,” Caroline commented, propping herself up on one hand to look at him. She was mesmerized by the starlight that rested on his high cheekbones, and she realized that she had never connected with anyone so quickly before, and it was both exciting and terrifying. To distract herself from her racing thoughts, she asked curiously, “Is there anything you would have done differently after you made the decision to change your life?”

            His self-deprecating laugh flooded the small spaces between them, sinking into their skin and warming them with its hopeful tune. “Well, I would have kept my obnoxious snobbery a secret a bit longer around you if I could. Or, at least tried to be a charming wanker as I insulted your town.” After her delighted giggles died down, he added in a more serious tone, “My assistant, Lucien. His actions are something I would have changed and I fully intend to rectify that situation tomorrow. He had told me that the workers all quit. It appears he has a lot of explaining to do.”

            Her blue eyes sparkled as she smiled at him warmly. “Making amends with the cafe’s employees would go a long way to making things right with the town,” she said approvingly. “Although if Lucien wants to stick around, it might be awhile before people warm up to him. He’s become a bit notorious,” she added, attempting to stifle her laughter when she thought back to the day Lucien had strolled into the vegan smoothie shop, bragging about his supposed power.

            Word had spread rapidly about Lucien firing the cafe staff, so when he began his shameless and downright creepy stalker-flirting with Aurora, the shopkeeper, his fate was sealed. The fiery redhead had sweet-talked the clueless nitwit into having a prune-fig-pistachio soymilk smoothie, and the potent natural laxatives worked overtime on his apparently delicate system. He was walking bowlegged to his rental car at a speedy-but-squishy pace, and Enzo managed to get some hilariously gross pictures that he spitefully published in the town’s newspaper. 

            Klaus murmured lowly, “I think Lucien has decided to remain in the city instead. In fact, when I suggested he fly back down here and oversee the transport of restaurant equipment, he quickly declined, stating that he had plenty of last-minute details to wrap up instead.” He frowned slightly. “It was quite peculiar, honestly. But Lucien’s always been a bit of an odd duck.”  

            She stifled her giggles, her voice somewhat strangled as she said, “Yes, that _is_ strange.” She bit her lip, noticing the way Klaus was looking at her. The intensity of his gray gaze made her uncomfortably warm, and whatever he seemed to be search for within her he must have found, because suddenly he leaned forward to close the miniscule gap between them and kissed her softly.

            Caroline responded with enthusiasm, sinking her fingers into his curls as he pulled her under the comforting weight of his strong body. She rubbed her bare foot along his calf, the canvas of his trousers making a low, pleasant purr. He groaned into her mouth, increasing the pressure of his lips as he caressed the side of her face. She could taste the salt of the evening air upon his lips and she nibbled impishly on his bottom lip.

            Releasing a sexy growl, Klaus plunged a hand into her messy blonde waves, angling her mouth for a perfect, soulful kiss. His other hand wandered to the slim strap on one shoulder, delicately sliding it down her sun-kissed skin. At her shuddering breath, he bent his head to rain down kisses along her neck, sliding his tongue along her clavicle.

            Her hand tangled in the curious collection of leather and metal necklaces he wore, tugging at them gently until her lips could reach his skin. She liked the soft moan that he emitted as she sucked gently, feeling his pulse quicken at her teasing touch. She sank into the warmth of his hands and let out a pleasurable sigh when he lightly grazed her nipple until it was a stiff peak under the thin cotton of her dress.

            She boldly thrust her breast into Klaus’ eager palm, inciting another delicious moan from him and he pulled down the stretchy fabric of her sundress, exposing her soft mounds to his greedy gaze. His lustful stare captured hers, and he whispered reverently, “You’re stunning, love.” He ducked his head down to wrap his tongue around her nipple, sucking gently as he learned the secrets of her body.

            Holding onto his dirty blonde curls and pushing his mouth more firmly against her breasts, she groaned at the way he tasted her flesh, his lips and tongue and the tiniest nip of teeth driving her wild. When she started softly rocking her hips underneath him, he unlatched his mouth, his eyes dark and savage in the starlight. With a wicked smirk, he moved down her body, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he took his time to slowly back away until he was on his knees before her.

            The first feel of Klaus’ fingers brushing the short hem of Caroline’s sundress made her thighs shake, and his murmur of approval as he slowly inched the teal cotton up her toned legs had her panting with desire. Soon, he exposed her simple nude thong, the dampness he felt having nothing to do with the heavy humidity of the evening air. His fingertips traced a sexy pattern upon her trembling mound.

            “Please,” she said breathlessly, the need in her voice apparent as she shuddered at the feel of his fingers toying with one smooth edge. As she began to beg in earnest, he indulged her with one firm swipe of his finger, growling at her slickness. He quickly moved aside her thong, dipping a finger into her wetness, curling it _just_ so until she groaned. Adding another finger, he slid into her, creating a marvelous rhythm that had her bucking her hips against his hand, chasing that shimmering release that was so close to the surface. His thumb pressed down against her clit, triggering her cry of relief as she found her ecstasy in this secret moment.  

            With both of them still panting, she surprised him by slipping out from underneath his tense body, quickly settling on her knees beside him. Blue eyes alive with mischief, she purred, “I think it’s time I returned the favor. After all, it’s only polite.”

            She liked how his lust-blown eyes followed her movements greedily, and when she started to slip the top of her dress back over her unbound breasts, he stopped her. “Let me look at them.”

            Already feeling the familiar stirrings of her arousal building again, she nodded, bending down to run her hands over the bulge in his trousers. The way his erection practically leapt into her touch sent a bolt of electricity down her spine. Impatient to stroke his sensitive skin, she quickly unbuttoned his pants, diving into his boxers to release his hardened cock. That first strangled groan that left his lips was the sweetest sound she had ever heard. She gave him a knowing smile as she wrapped her fingers around his length, moving them teasingly across the tight flesh.

            Klaus bucked his hips into her hand, following the erotic pace she set, anxious for his release. She took her time with him, allowing her fingertips to dance across his tip, the tiny drops of his desire allowing her to easily glide her palm over his cock. His thrusts became more shallow as the tension built, and he moaned her name as he spilled in her hand.

            Seductively licking her fingers, Caroline settled back against Klaus’ chest, a tiny surprised squeak escaping her lips as he playfully pinched her ass. They lay against each other in comfortable silence, breathing in the salty air of the Gulf and listening to the surf gently rolling in.

            “Well, I suppose that’s one way to settle our differences,” he panted, a light chuckle escaping his lips.

            Squinting over at him, she wryly asked, “But, a pair of shoes is still negotiable, right?”

            Klaus answered with a grin, “Maybe if you throw in a fruit basket, love.”

 

 


End file.
